People who talk to themselves are more intelligent.

Question

Self-talk indicates a sign of higher intelligence. They conducted a study of students where half of them studied by reading their problems out loud and the other half of students studied quietly. Talking out to yourself allows for self reflection and problem solving. They can work out the situation as they talk to themselves as Penn University stated that auditory commands are a better controller of behavior than when it is a written behavior.

Comments

What was the reason for using this source? It seems to be a blog from a blogger who pulled their information from other credible sources. This blog does provide great information, but I wonder where their information came from.

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I completely agree that self-talk is a great indicator of intelligence. It is really interesting to think verbalizing problems can enhance self-reflection and problem-solving. I'd like to think how talking aloud can guide our behavior more effectively than written instruction. This show a lot about exploring effective learning strategies.

Answer 1

While I totally agree with this claim there is a good bit of research that backs it up. Talking to oneself has been linked to higher intelligence and cognitive functioning. Research suggests that self-talk enhances problem-solving and focus by helping individuals organize their thoughts. A study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology found that verbalizing thoughts aids memory retention. Additionally, self-directed speech can improve performance on tasks by providing motivation and clarity. This fascinating connection highlights the potential benefits of self-talk in cognitive processes. I would suggest next time digging into an actual site with clearer researcher other than a blog, but overall this a great claim and very interesting

Comments

Your fact check is great in that it references other research on different ways self-talk can be beneficial, but it would be especially helpful if you linked your sources (the study from The Quarterly Journal and any other research that you read).

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Where is the link to this article you quoted? This is a good fact-check otherwise but without a link to check this means nothing.

Answer 2

while there have been studies that show that self-talk can result in better problem-solving and processing, to assert that it means you have a higher intelligence level is a stretch... I think one thing to take into account when claiming this is that the source you are using is a blog. Although this blogger has described a study done by Penn University, they have drawn there own conclusions in there description of this study. I think it would be more beneficial to read directly about the study posted by Penn University.

Comments

This is a good point that this is a blog and that more research should be done to fully determine if this is true or not. I believe that this claim means that there could be correlation but definitely nothing more such as causation.

Answer 3

After reviewing a couple of studies, this post is a little exaggerated. Self talk is a tool and everyone does it to an extent. The reason humans talk to themselves is to keep them focused on something or to solve problems by hearing the problem out loud. The link I believe the author is trying to make is that saying your thoughts out loud makes it easier to keep your train of thought and therefore those who think out loud are more intelligent. Now the studies have not said that there is increased intelligence in those who talk to themselves more. Essentially, those who talk to themselves are able to self regulate and manage stress/anxiety better. The idea that self talk is a human skill that helps with thought process and learning has been around since 369 BC when Plato spoke of the idea. Humans and primates use self talk and the studies I have read have just reasoned why intelligent creatures self talk whether it be through sign or verbally. It never said anything about how self talk makes individuals more intelligent as it is a basic human skill.

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5986836/#Sec2

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170428-why-talking-to-yourself-is-the-first-sign-of-success

https://selfcontrol.psych.lsa.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/KrossJ_Pers_Soc_Psychol2014Self-talk_as_a_regulatory_mechanism_How_you_do_it_matters.pdf

Comments

I agree with a lot of what you said but would like to offer my own opinion on one or two points. I appreciate the variety of sources you used as it makes it very clear that your answer is based in a wide scope of research and not just personal opinion. I would also like to offer another possible angle, that of memory. Often times when attempting to keep things together in our heads something slips through the cracks, but when verbalized you're able to acknowledge each one individually and thus reduce the chance of losing one without realizing. In the context of this claim students that worked out loud were able to see the entirety of the problem while I believe it's possible that the other students may have missed a thing or two. That being said, you make many excellent points and I would agree with the fact that the article is most likely missing the point.

Answer 4

The source is questionable, being that it is some kind of blog, however, its claims are backed up by plenty of other research that can be found from a quick google search. I do think that the title might be misleading as talking to yourself isn’t really a signal or sign of "intelligence", rather, it seems to be an outcome. Additionally, I couldn’t find the study on UK students that the author references that proves that talking to yourself is linked to improved performance.

Here are some other articles that discuss how higher intelligence, or perhaps better described as improved performance, is linked to talking to yourself: 

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170428-why-talking-to-yourself-is-the-first-sign-of-success

https://www.lifehack.org/334241/why-people-who-talk-themselves-are-geniuses-according-scientists

study mentioned in both the BBC and Lifehack articles: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22489646/

Answer 5

Though the source linked here is not credible, there are studies that back this claim. In a study by "The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology", researchers found that hearing yourself speak positively impacts memory. Also, an article by the BBC stated that it improves the way people speak and present out loud because of practice with it. However none of this defines being smarter, it only is in the ways you can improve your brain. The definition of intelligence is "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills," so then this claim would be true. There are certain ways to become more intelligent, and talking to yourself would be one of those methods.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170428-why-talking-to-yourself-is-the-first-sign-of-success

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17470218.2011.647039

Answer 6

According to the article "Talking to Yourself is a Sign of a Higher Intelligence," self-talk is a sign of increased intelligence and better performance. Some of the claims, though, require more convincing proof and clarification. For example, additional context and details regarding the study's scope and limitations would be helpful when referencing a UK study with 28 participants that claimed those who read aloud performed better (www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-paths-wellness/201812/the-power-talking-yourself). Although the article's claim that auditory commands are more effective than written ones at regulating behavior is consistent with cognitive processing research, it is presented anecdotally without citing any specific sources (www.scientificamerican.com/article/self-talk-effective-brain-2014). Furthermore, although relatable, the personal stories shared may not always result in better cognitive function because individual outcomes can differ.

Answer 7

While I do agree that self-talk is important, to claim that people who talk to themselves are more intelligent is an exaggeration. In the source that you linked, it doesn't explicitly say that self-talk makes you more intelligent. The blog does state that it makes you more focused and concentrated, but that doesn't necessarily mean more intelligent. I researched this claim even further by reading a CNN article that discussed the benefits of self-talk and how essential it is for human intelligence. It does state that self-talk "could actually be a sign of high cognitive functioning." However, this does not mean that we should outright claim that talking to yourself makes your smarter. It is also important that you read through more reliable sources next time.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/health/talking-to-yourself-partner/index.html

Answer 8

According to an article by Bright Side, people who talk to themselves are more intelligent. Talking to yourself makes your brain work more efficiently and exercises memory response. A lot of people use talking to themselves as a way to remember and memorize things. Some people write things down, some speak out loud, and others have other ways to memorize things. Talking  to yourself also has other benefits like confidence. When speaking out loud to yourself you are able to work on talking skills and building up self confidence in things you want to say.